The view on which this work is based is that the passages of the suttas which are reported to be the most often repeated by the Buddha in all the four Nikāyas can be taken as indicating what he considered as being the most worthy of interest in his teaching, and at the same time as what represents with most accuracy his actual words. Eight of them are expounded in the Gaṇaka-Moggallāna Sutta (MN 107) and described as the Sekha Paṭipadā or Path for one under Training, which practically leads the neophyte all the way to the fourth jhāna.

Twelve formulae that define step by step the main practices prescribed by the Buddha. It is of fundamental importance for anyone wishing to progress successfully, because it contains the instructions that will enable the meditator to set up the indispensable conditions for an efficient practice.